Special Olympics TURKEY Celebrates Athletes’ Return

Special Olympics Turkey organized a memorable return for its team of athletes who competed in the Special Olympics European Football Tournament in Lisbon in May.  A press conference and buffet breakfast was held at an exclusive restaurant by the Bosphorus on 13 May, 2009. Eight national television broadcasters and 28 print journalists attended. Then each Special Olympics athlete was given a medal that was presented to them by a celebrity.  In total, 24 celebrities from soap stars to singers to television anchors participated in the medal presentation.  Special Olympics athletes were delighted to meet the stars.  The event was covered extensively by the Turkish media.

Special Olympics Turkey organized a memorable return for its team of athletes who competed in the Special Olympics European Football Tournament in Lisbon in May.  A press conference and buffet breakfast was held at an exclusive restaurant by the Bosphorus on 13 May, 2009. Eight national television broadcasters and 28 print journalists attended. Then each Special Olympics athlete was given a medal that was presented to them by a celebrity.  In total, 24 celebrities from soap stars to singers to television anchors participated in the medal presentation.  Special Olympics athletes were delighted to meet the stars.  The event was covered extensively by the Turkish media.

Also in mid May, Special Olympics Turkey celebrated its fifth year of cooperation with P&G Turkey and supermarket chain Migros by organizing a press conference and hosting several lunches in Istanbul.  The cooperation is focused on a project called “500 More Athletes for Special Olympics.” Since its implementation in 2004, the cooperation has led to 2500 Special Olympics athletes bring given competition opportunities throughout Turkey.

Nine members of print media and 11 broadcast journalists attended the press conference and were invited to a luncheon hosted by Special Olympics Turkey Honorary President Dilek Sabanci.  The next day, Sabanci hosted a lunch for Hayrunnisa Aligil, Corporate Relations Executive Director, P&G Turkey, and Ahu Başkut Alyanak, Corporate Relations Executive Director, Migros.

Photo:  Special Olympics Turkey athlete Hakan Geçim with (left to right) Acun Ilıcalı, host of Turkey’s most popular television game show, and İbrahim  Tatlıses, one of Turkey’s most popular singers for the past 25 years. (Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Turkey)